Farm fires in Punjab, often held responsible for rising pollution levels in Delhi, have decreased by half this year, but Delhi's air quality remains heavily polluted.
Between September 15 and October 27, Punjab recorded 1,995 cases of farm fires, down from 4,059 during the same time last year, according to data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. This reduction marks a major 75% drop in farm fires since 2022, when 8,147 cases were reported.
Despite the efforts, air quality in Delhi still reads "very poor," with the AQI standing at 355. The decline in farm fires hasn’t significantly improved the air in the capital, showing that other pollution sources also play a major role.
On October 27 this year, Punjab saw 138 farm fires, with Ferozepur recording the highest number of cases, followed by Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib. On the same date in 2022 and 2021, fire incidents were much higher, with 1,111 and 766 cases, respectively.
Farmers in Punjab burn crop residue after harvesting to clear their fields for planting Rabi crops, such as wheat. The short time window between paddy harvest and the next crop pushes some farmers to burn stubble to prepare their fields faster.
Punjab, which produces around 180-200 lakh tonnes of paddy straw each year from over 31 lakh hectares of paddy fields, has been working to reduce stubble burning. In 2023, Punjab reported 36,663 farm fires, marking a 26% drop from the previous year.
Punjab's annual fire incidents were at 49,922 in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018. Some districts, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar, have traditionally seen the highest number of fires.
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